


Good Enough to Eat

by Angelleap77



Category: Trolls (2016)
Genre: F/M, M/M, Misunderstandings, Relationship Issues, male/male love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-22
Updated: 2020-09-27
Packaged: 2021-03-07 15:49:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26590141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angelleap77/pseuds/Angelleap77
Summary: This is a follow up story after the movie Trolls World Tour. A basic what-if type story of what would happen if the words said between Poppy and Branch had an alternate meaning.
Relationships: Branch/Hickory, implied Branch/Poppy
Comments: 4
Kudos: 28





	1. Chapter 1

Branch couldn't understand it. Things seemed to be going so well after they had made friends with all the other types of trolls and he had finally managed to confess his feelings to Poppy. That was until he noticed things were a bit off. Every time he tried to kiss Poppy, she would shy away from him and act like she didn't want to be near him. It didn't make sense to him why she claimed to love him and then would act like this. He started spending more time with the other trolls just to see if maybe the reactions were limited to him or if it happened to others as well, but it seemed that it was only ever happening to him.

As a few days passed, he became more and more depressed. He had thought that love would keep him happy and make him feel like he was flying on a cloud, but instead he felt more alone than ever. The looks others gave him didn't go unnoticed, the looks of sympathy and confusion on many of their faces. Even they didn't understand what was happening between Branch and Poppy. All of them had heard the confessions between the two of them, them telling each other they loved each other. Some figured maybe they were just having a rough start, while others were looking at the other signs that were there. Poppy was treating Branch like a friend, not like a typical boyfriend. She had given him flowers the day before but it was carnations. Since they knew every flower had its own unique meaning, they looked up the meaning of carnations and the first item on the list was friendship. Roses were normally a sign of love, but it wasn't roses that Branch had been given. His reaction to the flowers had been epic. 'Flowers? Really Poppy? Do I look like a flowers type guy to you? Unless the flowers can be used in medicines, they don't serve a purpose for me.' 

Poppy had gotten upset with him over the comment. She didn't want to explain to him outright that all she felt for him was friendship. She always told others she loved them, but only ever as a friend. She had never actually fallen in love with anyone other than a brief infatuation with Creek. A couple days after all the events with Queen Barb, Creek had come back, looking like he had nearly died out there. The rest of the colony wasn't overly thrilled at his return, not forgetting about his betrayal to the colony. It did seem however that he had learned the hard way about his actions. He had a huge scar running down one arm and had a small scar above his eyes. His normally vibrant purple skin was dulled down, taking on a slight grayish hint and his pants were covered in splotches of blood from where he had multiple run-in's with creatures that tried to eat him. His pitiful state didn't go unnoticed even by Branch, who felt pity at seeing the once gorgeous male looking so run-down.

Branch's brain comes to a complete halt at that point. Since when did he think of Creek as being gorgeous? Granted, he had always thought of Creek as being the strutting peacock of the tribe, but now that he thinks about it more, peacocks are gorgeous with their flamboyant tail colors and body colors, so in a way, Creek being a strutting peacock made sense. His admiration of Creek didn't go any further than that and the recent betrayal to the colony didn't help with matters either. All Creek had going for him at the time was his handsome looks. His personality, his 'I'm better than all of you' attitude, and his way of throwing his 'positivity' around pretty much put him off from pursuing the otherwise handsome male. Poppy seemed less inclined to welcome Creek back than most of the others, having been on the front line of his betrayal.

It was a few days following Creek's return to the village that things took an unexpected turn for Branch. Many of the trolls, Creek and Hickory included, were there to witness the downfall of a relationship that could have been the best thing to ever happen in the village. Branch had decided enough was enough and needed to confront Poppy about what had been happening lately between them.

"Poppy, we really need to discuss this. I confessed outright to you how I felt and you said you loved me too but yet every time I try to kiss you, you shy away from me like I have a plague. I seriously need to know what's going on with this. Are we a couple or aren't we??" Branch was already frazzled about all the rejections he had been given over the last week so to say he was nervous about her answer, would be putting things lightly. He looks up at her as she shuffles her feet. "Branch, I do love you, but I also love everyone else. I didn't want to just outright say this but apparently I have to since it's clear you misunderstood what I meant. I love you as a friend, nothing more. I wish I could say that things would change, but I don't have those kind of feelings for you. I wanted to make you feel loved like everyone else. You deserved to be happy like everyone else, but nobody else ever bothered to take the time to get to know you or to love you in any form. I was hoping that this form would be enough, but apparently you took my words the wrong way. I am so sorry."

Poppy reaches over to touch Branch on the arm only to be startled when Branch yanks his arm out of range of her. "Don't touch me. You no longer have that right. If your love for me was only as a friend, you should have told me that from the start instead of leading me on to believe that there was a chance at something more." He backs up from her further, fading back to gray again in the process, shocking all the trolls who were watching at the time. "Don't bother trying to follow me and you're not welcome in the bunker anymore either. Don't just personally invite yourself. I don't care about you being queen so don't think you can use your position to persuade me at all. It won't work in your favor anymore. I should have listened to my gut long ago when it told me something was off about all this, but I listened to my heart instead and now here I am, paying the price again. I was better off listening to what my gut told me years ago, that I was better off with another male. At least other guys have a better understanding of a guy's emotions and how fragile they are. You girls all think just because we're male that our emotions are tough and manly. Think again. Ours are just as delicate as that of a girl, sometimes more so."

He turns around and literally sprints to the edge of the village heading towards his bunker. Creek and Hickory exchange looks before following Branch to see if he was going to need any help. They were very concerned that Branch had reverted back to his gray form yet again, a form that if he stayed this way too long, could become permanent. Hickory managed to catch up to Branch first, lightly taking his arm and pulling him away from the bunker door. "Easy Branch, it's just me. We need to make sure you'll be okay. That was so wrong of her to do to you, leading you on to believe there could be something more between you. Many of us are very concerned about you, especially me. I was on that journey with you for a while, long enough that I got to know you, well enough that I came to care about you like many of the others. We hate seeing you down, so please, if you need help with anything, promise me you'll come to one of us to ask?"

Branch looks up at him, looking completely depressed and unsure of what to do at that point. He glances over as Creek finally catches up to them, looking upset as well and looking like he wanted to rip Poppy apart for what she did to Branch. "No promises, no guarantees, but I'll try. Once again, I had my trust shattered as well as my heart. If she didn't love me.. love me.. then why didn't she just say that from the start? I don't understand. She was always straight forward about everything before, so why so vague on her responses to me this time? It doesn't make any sense. I should have never listened to my heart when it came to her. I should have just followed my gut instinct and settled on being with another male." He glances sideways a moment, noticing the bright blush on Hickory's face before he could hide it again. "Maybe this supposed relationship was just a way to fill a void, till the one I was meant to be with entered my life. It's so hard to know for sure."

Creek and Hickory share a brief glance between them, Creek nodding at Hickory having already seen the desire in his eyes. Hickory blushes slightly again and nods before turning to Branch. "Maybe you need some time away from all this. I was thinking of making a boat so I could spend some time out on the local lake. Would you like to help me build it and maybe spend some time away from all this with me? We can spend a little time together, get to know each other a little better, maybe even share stories of our past experiences. You never know, it might actually be beneficial to your health, both mentally and physically." He was hoping for a positive response seeing as how he had taken a liking to the paranoid and over-prepared survivalist. He wanted to lay claim to him personally and show Branch how love could really be. Spending time with him during the journey had stirred his heart in a way that he couldn't ignore.

Branch chuckles slightly, having a feeling he knew what was up, but being okay with it. He had felt an attachment to Hickory as well, despite his initial opinions of the guy. "A boat? Ya, sounds like a cool way to spend some time. You better have some cappuccino on standby while we're working. I think some time away from everything here would be quite beneficial." He glances at Creek and notices how down Creek seemed to be. Going against his better judgment, he walks over to Creek and hugs him of his own accord, startling the guru for a few moments before hugging back. "As for you, spend some time in my bunker and get yourself back to normal. No excuses from you Creek. Regardless of what you did to us, seeing you in this state shows you paid for your mistakes. No going gray like me or I'll have to come back and beat that saucy little ass of yours personally." He walks back over to Hickory and nods he was ready to go when he was. "Let's get out of here. The sooner we go, the better I'll feel I'm sure."

As they head away, Creek's mind went total gutterball at Branch's comment before he darts down into the bunker to take care of his... problem.

...  
First chapter up :)


	2. chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Branch and Hickory head off to make the boat and spend some time... alone...

Branch stops at this hidden tool stash on the way to the lake, knowing they would need the tools to make the boat with. He had a feeling in the pit of his gut that things were about to get a bit awkward. He welcomed it at this time, especially after having been hurt by Poppy in such a way. He was having a hard time coming to terms with the situation, thus his current lack of color. Like the others, he was concerned about his colors never returning this time, regardless on if he found love again. Hickory had decided to forego being his normal self, choosing to stay quiet so as not to upset Branch, a fact which did not go unnoticed by the survivalist. He appreciated the fact that Hickory was being quiet so as not to upset him further. The gutter part of his brain questioned how much he could make Hickory scream later, a thought which caused Branch to go completely red/blue in the face. He was thankful he had his back to Hickory at that moment so no questions could be asked. Shaking his head to clear it of those thoughts, he picks up the tools and heads towards the lake again.

Hickory follows behind, marking the path as they go along so they wouldn't have issues coming back. He wasn't totally aware of how proficient Branch was at tracking, so he was playing on the part of caution by marking the path. Every so often, he would glance up and make sure Branch was still in view, only for his eyes to linger momentarily on the firm backside the survivalist had. Multiple scars were slightly visible between the top portion of the shorts and lower part of the vest in the back, making Hickory question how Branch got them. He wanted to reach over and touch them, but was afraid that Branch wouldn't like it if he did. He didn't want to ruin his chances with the handsome survivalist by being overly eager even though his brain was wanting him to lay claim to him before anyone else managed to hurt him. He hated seeing Branch hurting, hated to see anyone hurting. The idea that Poppy was responsible for hurting Branch this time, did not sit well on Hickory's mind. For a Queen to knowingly hurt one of their own people was considered a black mark against them, a mark that the colony would remember always.

When the two males reached the edge of the lake, they got to work clearing out many of the weeds and rocks along the beach first. They wanted to make sure they had plenty of space to work in that didn't have obstacles to hinder them. By the time they cleared enough space to work on the boat, it was already starting to get low in daylight. Branch was the first to notice that they had roughly an hour of sunlight left and got busy making a shelter for the night and setting up a fire to keep him and Hickory warm. Last thing he was expecting, especially this early in his alone time, was any cuddling between the two of them. Glancing behind himself for a moment, he noticed Hickory stacking up some firewood for them to use during the night and making sure the tools were hidden from view by anyone who might chance upon their location. His eyes wander over Hickory's firm backside every time he bent over to place something in the stack, averting his gaze quickly whenever Hickory went to turn in his direction.

Hickory chuckles slightly when he notices Branch seemed distracted and shakes his head. "Don't you worry about a thing. We'll get things taken care of. No need to worry your head over all this." Branch just shakes his head for a moment. "It's not all that worrying me. We didn't have time to even get anything to eat. It took us hours to clear the space we needed to even start building the boat. I didn't even have time to collect anything for us to have in our stomachs." He jolts a moment when Hickory's hand comes around his shoulders and holds out some blackberries to him that he had collected earlier. "Gotcha covered, Branch. It's not much, but it's better than nothing at all. We can do some nighttime fishing if you like. I know some fish bite better at night anyways, so we can enjoy ourselves a bit that way if you like."

Branch accepts the berries and stands up. "Thanks, Hickory. I should have thought to grab some food earlier but was more focused on getting the work done before it got dark. Some night fishing though sounds like fun. We'll have to be careful though. Some fish in this lake are big enough to eat us." He looks at Hickory as he says that, noticing the amused look on his face. "Okay, what has you so amused?" Hickory chuckles and shakes his head a moment. "Well, the fish aren't the only things that think you look good enough to eat." He winks at Branch a moment, causing him to turn an interesting shade of reddish blue. "We might be able to catch some fish, but you to me, look like dessert." Hickory backs Branch up into the shelter wall and plants a light kiss on his lips, making sure to be as gentle as possible. "Poppy made a mistake pushing you away, but I have no intentions of doing so. If you don't want this, I'll back off now. I will make it clear though, I want you for myself, Branch. I would never intentionally hurt you or lead you on with false hope. If this isn't what you want, tell me now before this goes any further."

Branch processes mentally for a moment what was going on, having expected this to happen but not expecting it this soon. "I kinda had a feeling this would happen and earlier, I was okay with it. I just didn't expect it to happen this fast. I'm not pushing you away, but keep in mind, being gray has a way of making me act not quite myself. It makes me overly paranoid, judgmental, too cautious, and very sarcastic.. well, more so than normal anyways. I just want to take this slowly so that way we aren't jumping head first into things that we might come to regret later."

"Trust me when I tell you this, Branch, but I will regret nothing of this. I want this and I want you. I know Creek has a thing for you as well, but he was okay with letting me have you since you showed little to no interest in him. I will do everything in my power to make you feel wanted and loved. I don't mind going slow with you as I respect you and want to take things at your pace. How about for right now, we focus on getting something to eat and then take one step at a time yes?" Hickory offers his hand to Branch who takes it after a few moments of debating it.

Within 30 minutes, they had managed to catch a couple fish for their dinner and had collected some berries from nearby to go with it. It was only after they finished eating that Branch realized just how yucky he felt. "Oh geez, I totally forgot to bring something to wash up with too. So much for me being prepared like always. I guess spur of the moment isn't exactly my thing." He lets out a squeak of surprise when Hickory pushes him down and removes his vest before feeling a wet tongue traveling along his skin. He stifles a moan as the licking travels over his body until Hickory started traveling downwards. When Hickory reached his belly and legs, he couldn't hold back the moans anymore and grabs hold of Hickory's hair, stilling his movements a moment so Branch could catch his breath. "Well, I certainly was not expecting a tongue bath from you. Just be easy on the feet. I'm quite ticklish and might accidentally kick you."

Hickory chuckles and removes Branch's pants next and continues where he left off, leaving Branch a moaning and writhing mess on the shelter floor. It was safe to say, anything and everything that traveled close to their location over the course of the next hour had a pretty good idea of what was taking place in that shelter and dared not interrupt them. Hickory didn't claim Branch fully, but by the time he was done with Branch's tongue bath, he was very worked up himself, slightly freaking out when Branch decided to return the favor. Neither was concerned about covering up the rest of the night, using each others body heat to stay warm during the night. As they drifted off to sleep, both questioned what events the next day would bring.

...  
boop.. chapter 2 :)


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